


Death Is Only The Beginning

by dolliewithasmile



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Death, Depression, Grim Reaper - Freeform, Grim reaper au, M/M, Mental Illness, Suicidal Thoughts, death au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 19:07:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12260334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolliewithasmile/pseuds/dolliewithasmile





	Death Is Only The Beginning

Rhett grinned as he watched the carnival whirl around him, his hands outstretched and moving up and down slowly to simulate flying. The wind whipped at his hair and he closed his eyes, letting the feeling of soaring overtake him. The swings had always been his favorite carnival ride, when he was a child his parents always fought during their vacations, so to get away from it all he'd run to the swings, close his eyes and pretend to fly away from it all. Years later, in his twenty fifth year, he still found himself pulled to the swings.  
His eyes snapped open as the sharp sound of grating metal cut through the air, people's happy giggles turned to shrieks of terror as cords snapped and bodies plummeted to the ground. Rhett stared in horror as people were ripped from their seats, falling to the concrete beneath them in a sickening splat of blood and bone.   
He looked to the people operating the ride, they surrounded the controls and pounded on the emergency stop button, but the ride continued to spin out of control. Rhett felt his chair jostle, he looked upwards at the cables holding him and let out a scream as they snapped.  
The world went dark.  
Rhett's eyes opened weakly and he groaned, gazing up at a grey sky. He sat up slowly and looked around him, his eyes widened, where was everyone? He looked up at the swing ride and found that all the seats were in working order and there were no bodies lying on the ground, had he dreamt it?  
Unsteadily, he rose to his feet. Rhett brushed off his clothes and looked around him, "Hello?" He called out, frantically searching around him.   
"No one will hear you, Rhett."  
Rhett froze, he turned slowly and his eyes met a pair of ocean blue ones, "W-What?"  
"I said, no one will hear you." The raven haired man took a bite from the blue cotton candy in his hand.  
"I heard you, but..what are you talking about? Where is everyone?"  
The brunette's eyebrows furrowed and he sighed, stepping closer, "You don't remember what happened, do you?"  
Rhett sighed, "Please just tell me what the hell is going on here.."  
"You died, Rhett." The brunette spoke softly.  
Rhett paused and took a cautious step backwards, "No.." Suddenly, it all came back. "The swing..mine broke.."  
The brunette nodded, "Yes."  
Rhett's eyes widened as he looked around him, "Is..this hell?" His voice cracked.  
"No." He stepped forward, "This isn't the afterlife."  
"Then what is it? And how do you know so much about it? Did you die too?"   
Shaking his head, the brunette stepped closer, "No. I'm Death. I'm here to take you." He stuffed his hands into his pockets.  
"Take me where?!" Rhett held up his arms defensively.  
"That depends on you." Death said gently, looking down at the ground.  
"I want to go home.."  
Death raised his head, "Do you, Rhett?"  
"What? Of course I do! I want to go back!" Rhett's eyes began to well up.  
"Tell me, Rhett. Out of all the places you could've chosen, why this one?" Death gestured to their surroundings. "And why is it empty?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
"I think you do. You see, this is your limbo, you can make it look however you like, fill it with whomever you wish. You chose a carnival, and it's empty." Death stepped closer.  
Rhett looked away, "It's the only place that ever felt like home to me, and.." He swallowed the lump gathering in his throat, "My family.." His voice cracked as he whispered, it hurt to even think of the neglect he suffered and the hatred he felt for them.  
"There's no need for shame, I wouldn't dare judge you for such a thing, Rhett." Death sat down on a nearby bench and quietly ate his cotton candy.   
Rhett sighed and slowly made his way over to Death, sitting down beside him with a huff, "So how do I get back home?"  
"Are you sure you want to go back?"  
"This again? I told you, I just want to go back." Rhett ran a hand through his hair in exasperation.  
"When you were alive, you weren't really living, were you, Rhett? You thought to yourself that there had to be more to life, that death would be a welcome change to the life you led. You tried many times, but it never quite stuck." Death raised his glance to him, "For someone who wanted to embrace death, are you not satisfied with what you've found?"  
Rhett looked away, "I thought it was what I wanted but..I don't know if I do anymore."  
The brunette nodded, "I understand." Death stood and began to walk away.  
"Wait!" Rhett shouted, holding out his hand, "Please..don't leave me here alone."  
"I told you, Rhett-"  
"I have no one." Rhett whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks.  
Death nodded silently and stepped over to him, "Let's go for a walk." He lead Rhett down the hill to a large ferris wheel, "Fancy a go? It's been-" Death paused, "Six years since you've been on one, right? With Tara Morgan, was it?"  
Rhett's eyebrows furrowed, "How do you know that?"  
Death chuckled and opened the gate to the bucket and sat down, motioning for Rhett to follow, "I'm everywhere at once, Rhett, the one constant in life." He closed the gate after Rhett sat down and the ferris wheel began to slowly rotate.  
"So..when Beauty and Gypsy-" Rhett began, his chest aching to think of his childhood dogs.  
"Yes." Death answered simply.  
Rhett choked down a sob.   
"They didn't suffer, Rhett, I took them into my arms and we went for a walk together, they didn't feel a thing."  
Rhett remained silent, staring off into space as he thought to himself, "So..did you choose this? Were you ever human?" He looked to the brunette.  
Death shook his head, "No. It has always been my job."  
"I'm sorry."   
Death raised an eyebrow, "For what?"  
"You've never gotten to know what it's like, to love, to lose.."   
Death looked over at Rhett, "Is it nice?" He whispered.  
Rhett chuckled, holding back tears, "It's amazing, even the bad stuff, just knowing you feel something, that you're alive. When you're dead, it's gone, you can't feel anything. I..don't want that anymore."  
Death smiled softly and the ferris wheel stopped.  
Rhett looked around in confusion, "What-"  
"Rhett." Death's face began to change, his eyes became a lighter shade of blue, his skin taking on a peachy glow.  
Rhett looked around him, his vision blurring. The sky's grey hue gave way to a vast expanse of bright blue with soft white puffs of clouds. "Death..?" He asked, reaching out.  
Link raised an eyebrow, "Death?" He chuckled, "No man, my names Link, I'm an EMT." He patted Rhett's shoulder, "You've got a few broken bones and a mild concussion, but you're gonna make it."


End file.
